author

James Coates

1843–1933

Drawn to mesmerism, thought-reading, and other fringe sciences of his day, this prolific late-Victorian writer turned curious subjects into practical manuals for everyday readers. His books offer a lively window into the era's fascination with mind power, suggestion, and the unseen.

1 Audiobook

How to thought-read : A manual of instruction in the strange and mystic in daily life, psychic phenomena, including hypnotic, mesmeric, and psychic states, mind and muscle reading, thought transference, psychometry, clairvoyance, and phenomenal spiritualism

How to thought-read : A manual of instruction in the strange and mystic in daily life, psychic phenomena, including hypnotic, mesmeric, and psychic states, mind and muscle reading, thought transference, psychometry, clairvoyance, and phenomenal spiritualism

by James Coates

About the author

James Coates was a British writer whose books explored mesmerism, hypnotism, telepathy, psychometry, spirit photography, and related subjects that sat on the border of science, entertainment, and spiritual inquiry. Library and public-domain records for his works list him as living from 1843 to 1933.

He wrote a steady stream of practical guides, including How to Mesmerise (1890), How to Thought-read, Seeing the Invisible (1906), Self-Reliance (1907), and Photographing the Invisible. His titles were usually aimed at general readers rather than specialists, blending instruction, anecdote, and popular explanation.

Today, Coates is remembered less as a canonical literary figure than as an engaging guide to the occult and psychological enthusiasms of his time. For listeners interested in the history of hypnotism, psychic research, and self-help before the modern age, his work captures a curious and energetic corner of turn-of-the-century reading.